Yes, we were hoping and trying to get pregnant. We talked about it months ago, and talked with friends who had children spaced closer together and friends with children further apart, and decided it would be fun to have kids close in age.

We had a VERY narrow window of opportunity. Skip ahead if you don’t want TMI. I appreciate when people share this stuff, so I’ll share too. I was in “lactation amenorrhea” which means I wasn’t menstruating (or ovulating) because of breastfeeding, until Anneliese was about 10.5 months old. I had ONE very short, very light period. Then, I started using these ovulation predictor strips so that I might have some idea of when an egg might be ready to go. I had an LH (lutenizing hormone, the one that helps an egg pop out) surge, then truly felt pregnant a bit later, but every test was negative. Like, a lot of them. Still no period though. I didn’t know what to think. And I got pretty sad when I realized that if I had my period, then by “cycle day 14” (average ovulation time) my husband would be on deployment already… On a whim, I tried another LH strip, and lo and behold, LH was present. The next 3 days it was positive for a surge, and then? A week and a half later, I got a positive pregnancy test (the first one I tried). So one cycle. Two “tries.” And perfect timing.

Yes, Anneliese is still nursing. Lots. Frequently. And more when she’s teething.

No, I’m not planning on weaning her. I just can’t imagine that. She is still my little baby, and we both still get so much from our nursing relationship. It’s a wonderful way to feel close, a comfort to her, and of course a nutritional safety net as she goes through phases of food preference while on the gradual journey of baby-led weaning. Since I had a breast reduction and subsequently learned of the huge importance of breastfeeding, I am grateful every. Single. Day. That I can breastfeed her, that I can nourish her, that I can nurse and nurture her with my body, not just with my heart. Every day, I’m amazed by nursing her. I will continue as long as it’s working well for both of us.

Yes, that means I might be nursing a baby and a toddler at the same time. I am so excited about it. I see photos like this, and they strike me as so incredibly beautiful. I hope I get to experience that.

We want to have this baby at home. Anneliese’s birth was overall wonderful. And it was in the hospital. But basically every part that wasn’t wonderful was due to being in the hospital. The lack of flexibility about monitoring, the hep lock placement, getting smashed in the legs by the falling shower seat, hitting my legs on the pointy parts under the hospital bed, an uncomfy room and small uncomfy hospital bed leading to fewer laboring position possibilities, having a midwife who wanted me to push on my back even though it was the most uncomfortable position to me (and it doesn’t allow the pelvis to open as much, or the mother to shift to help baby to tweak her position herself for birth), which I feel is the reason I “needed” an episiotomy, etc. Not to mention the gross hospital food afterward, the uncomfortable bed and too-high baby “crib” which made it hard to access Anneliese that first night, and my husband having to sleep on a fold-out chair. Then, getting stuck in the hospital because the hearing test machine was broken and they wouldn’t discharge us until we had tried the test about 4 times. And when they did discharge us, they were suspicious of our non-infant carseat (we knew we wouldn’t use the “baby bucket” so we got a convertible one that isn’t removable, but which starts at 5 pounds so is perfectly safe). And all we wanted to do was to cuddle our newborn baby in the comfort of our home.

I know I can do it. I gave birth to Anneliese naturally, vaginally, with no drugs, IV, or any pain relief. I declined pitocin for bleeding or to augment the placenta delivery. Anneliese had no interventions after birth either. It was a marathon. I did it. However, if something were to go awry, we would have an experienced homebirth midwife with us (not sure who yet) who will be prepared with pitocin (to stop hemorrhaging, not to induce contractions) oxygen, and all sorts of other emergency goodies, and if we needed to transfer to a hospital, we are literally 2 minutes away.

Speaking of marathons… I’m going to train for this. I remember how exhausted I was throughout my entire pregnancy with Anneliese, and I wasn’t as active as I would’ve like to have been as a result. But when my labor with her lasted so long and my legs both had charlie horses in them by the end, I learned how important preparation is. Not just intellectual/mental/emotional preparation, but physical too. I’ve been going for longer walks and bike rides every day, doing kettlebell swings, and doing push ups, tailor sitting, and pelvic rocking every day. I’ll write more about this later.

I do have a “project” idea for this pregnancy, and I’m excited to start it.

I will be solo parenting for most of my pregnancy. Life as a Navy wife throws you some challenges, for sure, but I’m so thankful to have so many wonderful friends here, especially in our La Leche League, and the Natural Parenting for Non-Hippies group I started earlier this year.

Please let me know what you’re curious about or what questions you might have throughout my pregnancy. I’ve said it so many times, but I appreciate when other people share the details of their experiences, and in return, I am very open about sharing mine.

*T didn’t believe me with the first test. He wanted “consistent, repeatable results.” The second convinced him.

102 Comments

Goldie Bailey
Dec 08, 2011 @
01:44:31

Good luck! (we’ve used them since the birth of my first. Well, birth is a difficult and exhausting experience and is hard work for your body. So now I am high risk with this pregnancy because it can happen again.

[…] to the RSS feed for great healthy recipes, home decor tips, and more.So I’ve been pregnant, and you’ve known about it for weeks, but I haven’t updated the blog at all. So this one will be a little catch-up-y. I’ll try to […]

I am pregnant with my first child right now and I am due in March. I’m excited you are going to try a home birth. I’m considering a birthing center down the road from both my home and the hospital. You always have such great information and I look forward to “sharing” this pregnancy with you!

Congrats! We just had our second and are in soooooo much love. It’s an amazing experience to see your first love your second so much. Let us know how things progress & visit us on http://www.sprucekidsblog.com.

Congrats! I sent you a reply via tweet. We just had our second and are in soooooo much love. It’s an amazing experience to see your first love your second so much. Let us know how things progress & visit us on http://www.sprucekidsblog.com.

Congratulations on pregnancy, breastfeeding, and home birthing!!! All so exciting! I am 7 months along and having a home water birth and plan on breastfeeding 2 or so years. Just wanted to give you some support but it looks like the previous comments have done that as well. Go you!!

Hello. Congratulations on you pregnancy. A friend led me to your blog awhile ago, and I visit it for grain-free recipes. I just noticed this post and I wanted to tell you that I had my first baby this past April and we had the most wonderful home birth. It was truly amazing and I hope you have the experience you are looking for! Also, thanks for the tasty recipes, keep em coming!

Wow, congratulations on you pregnancy! it is so exciting isn’t it? Tonight I dreamed about me being pregnant again and I was practically feeling the baby moving inside my belly. I am not sure if I like these dreams when you can not tell directly after you wake up whether it was a dream only or a dream :).

I don’t think I could be more excited for anyone else I know. You are the most wonderful, present, attached mama I know, and I am continually in awe of your heart for your family. Now, cross your fingers for me! I’m hoping to be next! I have no doubt A will nurse right through your pregnancy, and like you, I think tandem nursing will be so incredibly rewarding and beauiful. I can’t wait to experience it (hopefully). Congratulations to a mama that I truly admire and adore with my entire heart.

Yay!! So exciting Emily! And I love how much you share We were having the now or later discussion, but hubby just got 12+ month long orders to the desert (leaving next month!) so it looks like it will just be me and my Baby A for a while. I do have a question for you though, what family planning options have you considered (for the future), if any? We have just started charting and all that jazz for the “NFP” method…

Congratulations! I am also pregnant with #2 and I am still nursing my 23 month old! Although I plan on weaning because I am going back to work until the next one is born in March, so the weaning will happen as I start work next week with me still nursing at night and hopefully mornings. My goal was age 2 and beyond, and she will still have a couple nursings after age 2.
I also would love a homebirth! I had a natural hospital birth and also blame lying on my back for the episiotomy. And we had to put up a fight to get a natural birth! The doctor was almost forcing me to let him break my water and start pitocin..! But we made it naturally but I also decided I didn’t want to go through that again. However, I do not live near a hospital and I don’t know about any homebirth midwifes nearby, so instead of going to the same doctor, I am driving 40 minutes away to a highly recommended midwife who felt bad for me when I said I had an episiotomy..! (She still delivers in a hospital..)I plan to have my second naturally again. Maybe my 3rd at home one day..?
Although, my husband and I want to be prepared because when I finally started my active labor contractions my first was born in only a few hours. We want to read about what to do in case my husband needs to deliver at home! Do you have any materials you recommend for birthing at home? I would be nervous about clamping the umbilical cord and cleaning everything up.

Wow, congratulations, that’s wonderful news!
I’m sure you will achieve the beautiful home birth you want.
I was unable to tandem feed my two (born 21 months apart), as my oldest weaned himself off when I was 3 months pregnant. Apparently the taste changes, and some babies decide they don’t like it. Hopefully you won’t have this problem!
Wishing you all the very best for the pregnancy, birth and beoynd.

Congrats on your pregnancy! I am pregnant too with our 2nd. I am due the beginning of March. I always hoped for my second pregnancy to be an at home birth or a water birth but I won’t get that wish I was diagnosed with postpartum cardiomyopathy (heart failure after pregnancy) in January 2010, 6 days after giving birth to my son. So now I am high risk with this pregnancy because it can happen again. So I can’t wait to hear about your labor, because I won’t be able to do that myself!

heh, a bit of walking “days before” won’t do it for me… My husband and I walked many miles a day , every day, for about 3 weeks before Anneliese was born, since I was having prodromal labor and we were trying to augment it. I need to train as if I’m training for a marathon, not getting ready for a stroll around the block.

Well, birth is a difficult and exhausting experience and is hard work for your body. Even if you are not in marathon shape, but in decent shape I think your body will do just fine. We are made to give birth.

I did a home birth last June, in water. It was a wonderful way to labor – to float and not be confined to a specific position. I highly recommend it. We had a very experienced midwife who was fast acting and knew what to do with our son when he didn’t start breathing right away.

Congratulations! I’m also newly pregnant, and also solo parenting for a good part of this pregnancy (my husband is in med school, but will be gone lots and lots). Aaaaaand we’re planning a home birth, too! I wish you a peaceful, easy pregnancy!

i came to your blog months ago somehow through gdiapers. (we’ve used them since the birth of my first. your research would have been helpful had it been before my first was born. =) but now i direct people to it.) my little ladies are 18 months apart. the youngest is only 2 months, but i love having two so close in age already. my oldest weaned at 13 months, which was best for both of us, but i hope you get your dream of nursing both of them simultaneously after a successful and safe home birth!

Wow! I was just directed to your blog by The Primal Kitchen (http://primalkitchen.blogspot.com/) to help me get through my first trimester a week ago. Our second is due in March, not too far off from yours.

I am nursing a 22 month old and feel similarly about not weaning–It’s so important to both of us and I can’t imagine taking it away from him, even though it’s often uncomfortable right now.

CONGRATS CONGRATS CONGRATS!! I really hope that you get to tandem nurse; I think it’s beautiful as well. I hope that you have a great pregnancy – I cannot wait to do it again as there are so many things I would do differently.

Love that first date pic and that choker, so 2001! I had no idea you guys had been together for so long!

Oh my. That photo of positive pregnancy tests makes my heart go pitter pat.
I had a skeptical husband too. I did 3 tests to prove it to him (Must be a Navy guy thing? heh.)
You will do great with all of this. I had so many critics who thought I needed to wean my oldest (Said with looks of horror: “But, won’t it steal the vitamins from the fetus????????!!!!!!!!!”)….but even in the grips of awful sickness when all I could swallow was a bite of a baked potato and some ginger ale, I still managed to breastfeed my beautiful and healthy first born daughter AND grow a big (9 lb 4 oz), gorgeous little sister for her…and if I do say so myself (on most days) I did look quite lovely and glowing while doing this and remain

I too am BFAR mom and also tandum nursed ds#2 and ds#3! The hardest and most amazing thing I ever did! I can add details if you would be interested, but not all of it is pretty! LOL Blessings on the new life you are creating!

Congratulations! What an exciting time for you and your family. I tandem-nursed my 3rd and 4th children, and it was time-consuming at times but also wonderful and made nap-times for everyone possible, including me!

Congrats!! I am so happy for you and your family! Honestly, our home birth was one of the greatest decisions we made and has definitely influenced our whole family’s direction since then! It is such a wonderful feeling to work with your body to bring a baby into this world (which I know you experienced in the hospital) but it is even better to be in the comfort of your own home I’d be willing to talk about it more if you’d like (I <3 talking babies, pregnancy, etc!) anyways, we used Detrah Hele and she was absolutely amazing! She is very knowledgable and experienced and has such a calm and soothing demeanor but she is also very witty too which brings a great balance Anyways sorry to write a book here! Hopefully we'll meet again! (I met you at the cloth diapering party on Saturday)

Congrats! So exciting to see how you accomplished this in a small window of opportunity- what a blessing. I so agree w u about birth in a hospital. My VBAC was overall lovely but what wasn’t was from the interventions in a hospital. I wish I had gone to a birth center or just planned an HBAC

My two are 22 months apart and it’s so much fun watching them interact. I breast fed through most of my pregnancy and tandem nursed until my daughter was 2.5. She was ready to wean and is doing great now. My daughter LOVED sharing “num num’s with her brother!

It’s so exciting adding your second child to the family!! Hope your’e feeling well and rest up lots and get help if your hubby’s going to be gone for the pregnancy.

My oldest kids are close together (two years, five days apart) and I LOVE it. I was that way with my brothers and liked that too. We have a baby now and will adopt because we don’t want him to be alone by himself.

Yay! I love babies and pregnancy. I also solo parented during pregnancy and while it was tough some days, it was okay in the end.

Congratulations!!! I’m 20 weeks pregnant right now with my first baby (It’s a girl!). I really don’t know what to expect but my husband and I are wanting to have a home birth. We’re starting to interview midwives now. I’d like to go all natural and hope to avoid the annoying and intervening things that a hospital brings.

How exciting! I would’ve liked a home birth for Anneliese too, but T was kind of nervous about the idea. I think now that we’ve both been through it, he’s more comfortable with birth in general, so home birth makes sense. I hope you find a wonderful midwife you “click” with instantly!

Congratulations! You can definitely, definitely do this next stage of life! You have the benefit of experience AND the determination which has seen you through the last year. I hope this 2nd pregnancy will be something you enjoy!

I don’t know how I could’ve waited that long. It was SO hard to wait as long as we did with Anneliese, and I pretty much dropped off the face of the earth because I was so nauseated and tired but we were waiting…

Congrats!!! So exciting that you’re planning a home birth. I’d like to do the same if we have another. I’ve made peace with my unplanned cesarean, but an HBAC would be kind of redemptive. Happy baby-growing, to you!

Congrats! My question about the breasfeeding while pregnant: doesn’t, in theory, nutrients going the milk mean less are going to the growing baby? I’ve read that’s why its better to have kids 2+ years apart. But I have no kids so this is just what I’ve heard.

That’s not really how it works. My body will have a hierarchy … 1) fetus, 2) baby, 3) mama. I know after pregnancy and nursing for a year (and continuing) my body has been working really hard… I have been eating nutrient-dense foods of course, lots of dairy, meat, fats, veggies… and will continue eating in a mindful way so that I’ll be able to take care of all 3 of us the best way possible. If anyone suffers, it will be myself, not Baby2.

Lots of people say “it doesn’t matter what you eat when you’re pregnant. The fetus will get what it needs from your body.” Well, that pretty much only works if you HAVE those stores built up. So if you’ve been pregnant recently, diet is even more important than before.

Amen to that. But I was told it was the baby first, mama and then nursling. It made sense to me because the mama needs a certain amount of nutrients to make the milk in the first place. So long as you have enough milk for nursling, then all 3 of you should be well nourished.

Congrats! I’m not in a position to share more, but let’s just say I’ll be following your blog extra close now.

Congratulations! I am so happy for you!
I am still debating if I am ready for another one. Some days I think Oh yeah I can handle this. Maybe I will have them 2 yrs apart. But some days I am like maybe I am not cut out to have more than 1. I don’t know. I guess I still have a lot of thinking to do.